Improvement in handle for cans



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MELlLEN BRAY,-Y OF BOSTON, -lVlASJACHUSE'ITS- Letters .Patent No. 86,500, dated Februa/ry 2, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN HANDLE FOR CANS, &c.

To f'whom'fit ma/y concern:

Be it known that I, MELLEN Bennet Boston, in the county of Suffolk, aud State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Method of and AMeans for Attaching Handles to Cans and other articles; and I hereby declare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description of the saine, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a top view, and

lFigure 2, a vertical section of a handle and holdingplate for the same, constructed in accordance with my invention. I l

' Figures 3 and 4 are like views of a moditlttiou of the invention.

The ordinary method of making hails or handles for cans, Sto., and of attaching them to such cans,.is very' defective in many respects.

In those cans or other articles which havethe. handle attached to the top or cover of the vessel, the handle is usually formed b v means of wire bent into the form of a loop, the two contiguous ends of the wire being covered by a plate which tits over them, and is soldered, or otherwise secured to the can; or, in case the two ends of the wire are separate and not contiguous, then separate holding-plates are used, one for each end.

The great objection to this arrangement is, that if v the can to be lifted by its handle or loop is of any considerable weight, the ends of the handle, heilig unattached to Aeach other and to the holding-plate, the plates are apt to bend and pullout from under the plates, thus destroying the utility of the handle.

It is manifestly inconvenient and disadvantageous to solder the handle to the can orto the holding-plate, as in such event it would be rigidlyY iixed in one position, and incapable of being swung or turned up and down on a hinge or pivot, as it were, as is required in the case of ordinary handles.

' The object of my invention is to so construct the handle and its holding-plate or plates, that the ends of the said handle, while free to turn or rotate under the holding-plate or plates, shall, at the saine time, be

tightly and securely held in place, so asto prevent all danger of their retraction from underneath such plates. To this, end,

My invention consists, essentially, in forming, on' each end of the wire or other metallic piece which forms the handle, a lug or ear, projecting up from the wire, and iitting in a recess or indentation of corresponding shape and size, formed in the holding-plate or plates, so that when the said plates are placed over the ends of the handle, and attached to the `top ofthe can or other vessel, the lugs or projections on the ends of the handle will t and be held tightly in the indentations.

The ends are thus left free to turn or rotate beneath the holding-plates, which are grooved or struck up, so asnot only to snugly fit upon and around the ears or lugs of the handle, but also the other portions ofthe handle, which lie under them, thus forming elongated bearings for the Shanks of the bail.

. To enable those skilled in the art to understand and use my invention, I will now proceed to describemore fully the manner in which the. same is ormay be c ar" ried into effect, by reference to the accompanying drawings.

In figsA 3 and 4, I have represented a handle, A,

made in the form of a loop,rthat is to say, with the ends,b, of the wire of which it is composed bent so Vas to be contiguous o r in contact.

Upon each end is a lug or ear, c, which may be formed from the wire itself, or of solder, or any other suitable means may be employed for forming the projectiou.

The parts b of the handle, which are bent underneath, so as to form the lower portion of the loop, are straight, and lie inthe same line, so'that they can t properly upon the top of the can or vessel to which the handle is to be applied.

As the two ends b, and consequently the two lugs or ears c, are thus brought together, the latter forming only one projection, but one holding-plate, B, need be employed.

This is iitted over the partsb of the handle, a longitudinal groove, d, being stuck up in it, so as to receive and t over the ends l), and a deeper and larger indentation or recess, e, being formed about the centre of the plate, in the line of the groove, so as to enable the plate to t over the ears c.

The plate B is attached to the top ofthe can or other article with which it is used by solder, screws, or other suitable means employed for this purpose.

s When thus attached, the ends b willbe held between the holding-plate and the can; and as the ears or lugs o t and are held within the recess or indentation e, it will be seen that,- when thecan is raised by its handle, all possibility, of the retraction of the ends b from beneath the plates is prevented.

The ears e are held tightly and firmly in their seat in the plate, and the handley is perfectly'rsecure. At the saine time it will be noticed that the shape of the groove and indentation in the plate is such as to leave the ends b, with their lugs c, free to partially rotate or turn, so as to allow the handle to be raised or turned down, according as required. p

In lig. 3, the handle is in the position it occupies when turned down, so as to lie parallel, or nearly so,

`with the top of the can. In iig. 4, on the other hand,

it is raised, so as to be perpendicular tp the plate B, and consequently to the top of the can, this being its position when it is in use.

In figs. l and 2, the ends b of the bail or handle A are bent outwardly, or away from each other.

In this case, two plates B are required, one for each end of the handle. The general form, however, of the plate remains the same, it being provided, as before, with a groove, d, which iits over the main portion of each end, while a larger indentation or recess, e, receives the lug c. y

These plates are secured to the vessel with which they are employed by any suitable means, as above mentioned. v

The handle is equally adapted with the one shown in figs. 3 and 4, to be turnedup or down. l

The lugs c, instead of being on the extreme ends of Vthe partsV b, may be located atfanypoint on such part, n

the position of the indentation in the holding-plate being of course correspondingly changed.

The advantages resulting from this method of forming and combining the handle and holding-plate are apparent Without explanation. There is little or no increase in the cost of manufacture, and the handle will ontlast three, four, or more of the ordinary kind. The plate Bean be struck up into the required shape without diiculty, and, as above said, the lugs can be formed of solder, or any other suitable means can be employed for the purpose.

Having now described my invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be carried into effect,

What l claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination of the bail or handle, constructed, as herein described, with the sheetfmetal holding plates,

providedm'th a recess or recesses for the lug ends of` Y the bail, and elongated bearings for supportingthe Shanks of the same,.as set forth. Y Y

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, before two subscribing witnesses.

MELLEN BRAY.

Witnesses: y

JOHN D. LONG, Gno. B. HENRY. 

